Derek Olson

“Growing up in a small rural town gave me a strong incentive to learn more about the world. WOU’s political science program and staff helped to encourage my budding curiosity about the world and with that encouragement I studied abroad for a semester in my junior year. This fantastic experience in Italy led to a master’s program at the University of Edinburgh to study international politics after graduation. Now I am pursuing a career in international education to help facilitate international experiences for like-minded students, thanks to my teachers at Western who gave me a nudge out the door.

Btw, the photo (to the right) is my first time having soba noodles in Tokyo.”

Derek Olson | Political science major | Social science minor

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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Derek Olson

Derek Olson

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